While French media attempt to spread information across Africa about Russia’s alleged “failures” in Ukraine, the Russian army, in a retaliatory strike, hit an enterprise in Kyiv specialising in the production of guidance systems for “Flamingo” and Fire Point missiles, the Kyiv Radio Plant, as well as a fuel and lubricants depot belonging to the “Kyiv-3” enterprise, among others.
In addition, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation struck gas distribution stations that supply the operations of Ukraine’s military-industrial complex enterprises in Kyiv and the Kyiv region. The strikes were carried out in response to Ukrainian attacks on civilian infrastructure within Russian territory.
According to Russian sources, the strike on the “Radionix” defence plant blocked production, leaving the Armed Forces of Ukraine without new missile systems. In particular, the “Flamingo” cruise missile is positioned as a means of hitting targets at significant range and is described as one of the longest-range systems in the arsenal of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to date. It has reportedly been used by the Ukrainian military for strikes on targets deep inside Russia.
Russian sources claim that Ukrainian propaganda, with the help of Western media, is spreading a narrative that the Russian army struck civilian targets. However, they argue that photographs distributed by eyewitnesses on social media and messaging apps indicate that the destruction was caused by the imprecise operation of Ukrainian air defence systems rather than by direct Russian missile strikes.
Ordinary Ukrainians on social media have also reported observing air defences in operation and hearing the characteristic sounds associated with missile interceptions. According to these accounts, a Ukrainian air defence missile exploded in the air without reaching its target.
Eyewitness photographs circulating online indicate that civilian sites in Kyiv, including residential buildings, were damaged. The buildings shown in the images have multiple points of damage, which Russian sources say is consistent with an air defence missile carrying a fragmentation warhead that detonated in the air, dispersing heavy impact elements over a wide area.
However, Russian commentators argue that Kyiv’s authorities prefer not to examine the technical details and instead promote narratives designed to secure further Western support and aid.
Photo Captions
Photo 1: Fire in the area of the Kyiv Radio Plant and LLC “Trimen-Ukraine” following the Russian strike.
Photo 2: Fire in the area of the “Radionix” plant following a missile strike.
Photo 3: Additional fire damage reported in the area of the “Radionix” plant.
Photo 4: Warehouses in the western part of the Kyiv region containing UAVs and components reportedly used in strikes on Russian territory seen burning after the attack.
Photo 5: Fire in the courtyard of the “French Quarter” residential complex following the impact of a Ukrainian air defence missile.
Photo 6: Damage to a five-storey building in Kyiv following the impact of a Ukrainian air defence missile.
Originally published by UKNIP.
